King of the World
by holden-cawffle
Summary: Memories come rushing back when N revisits his room with the player character in B2/W2. From the being found in the woods to meeting a certain trainer.
1. Chapter 1

_This place… was my world._

Toy trains lie scattered on their sides, worn and colorless like bodies drained of blood. The green haired man remembers small, clumsy hands dragging the trains across his room as he imagined flying azure skies with the Dragon, liberating innocent Pokémon from the tyranny of mankind. A hero; in his childish mind, he would become a hero whose legendary stories would be passed down generation to generation.

A lump grows in his throat and he can't swallow it. His world, a lie.

 _When I was little, I was abandoned deep in the woods… Then, one day, a man appeared, claiming to be my father. That was… Ghetsis._

A man as imposing as a tower stood before the skinny green haired boy and his gang of young, starved Pokémon. Standing in a ray of twilight that cut through the trees, with his long golden hair and blood red eyes, the tall man seemed like a God.

The Devil, maybe.

"Who are you?" the boy said in his native language—a language whose words were rough against his throat and made his tongue curl uncomfortably, unlike the fluid language of Pokémon.

"My name is Ghetsis." His voice was silky and his cadence unnatural. "And you are my son."

The zorua that stood in front of the boy protectively snarled. _He's lying, I remember our papa! Papa abandoned us here!_

The boy took the small gray fox into his lap and hugged it tightly. The zorua cuddled with the green haired boy but kept its watchful, piercing eyes on Ghetsis. The woobat and darmanitan surrounded the boy, like guards protecting their king.

"I am your real father," Ghetsis said. "I am your true papa, my boy. That other man… he was a bad man who took you away from me when you were a baby."

"You're… one of the good guys?"

"Yes. Now I would like to take you home."

"But I _am_ home," the boy said, gesturing at the trees and his friends.

"Your rightful home is a castle with subjects who long for your return, my boy."

"A castle?" The boy's blue eyes lit up. A castle would have food for his friends and him. Food that could make their bulging ribs and bleeding gums disappear. And a castle would be warm. Last winter was brutal, which had killed two of his friends…

Ghetsis gave the boy an answer every child fantasized about. "A castle," the tall man said, "because you are destined to become king of the world."

* * *

 _To be continued._


	2. Chapter 2

_The things he gave me were… the name "Harmonia"… the knowledge a king would need… Pokémon with their hearts shut so very tightly I couldn't even talk to them… and this room…_

"Did you know you can calculate what position of the Ferris wheel a person will be in with a just a formula, Papa?" The boy's blue eyes, full of wonder and innocence, shone brightly as he showed off his math book to Ghetsis. Laying on the cool, sky-like floor, he flipped through the pages. "Isn't that really amazing? And it's really easy!"

Ghetsis, who had just entered the boy's room, forced a smile—lips stretched tightly, shark like teeth exposed. "How… fascinating, N."

The boy—now called N, a single _letter_ —tugged at his bushy hair anxiously. "Math really explains everything, Papa. Maybe I can invent a formula that makes sense of people. I'll have to make friends when I become king, right?"

"No, you don't," Ghetsis snapped. "Kings don't have friends. You will _not_ go gallivanting around Unova, making friends with your enemies."

"But Papa," N whined.

"Everyone out there are trainers," Ghetsis said. His ruby eyes narrowed, as if he were suspicious of the child's motives. "You wouldn't fraternize with trainers, would you? Trainers who abuse Pokémon—"

"No, Papa," N said. His eyes were downcast, and his fingers tapped the math textbook in his lap. "The people in the book are friends… _At the Nimbasa Amusement Park, Mina and John ride a Ferris wheel with a twenty-meter radius together. The bottom of the wheel stands_ —"

Ghetsis snatched the book from the boy's lap and savagely tore the page out. The book landed on the floor with a sharp _thud_ after he tossed it carelessly about the room. With a powerful fist, he crumpled up the page into a tiny ball.

N stared at Ghetsis' tight fist and pointy white knuckles in horror, and fear pounded against N's small chest.

"No friends," Ghetsis snarled. "You are not to befriend trainers when you leave this castle. Do you understand, N Harmonia? That answer will never change because your _friends_ will ruin our dreams. Those people out there… they will never comprehend our selfless goals."

"They're all bad guys?" N whimpered.

"Every one of them," Ghetsis said firmly. "The ignorant ones who refuse to believe in our cause will try to stop you. They won't understand how special you are, nor how key you are to changing the world. When you're older, my young king, you will see. You will have to work hard to educate the unenlightened masses."

The towering man paced around the room and shook his head; the child could see his grief, his shame in living in this world. "No matter. We will discuss this again in the future."

"Okay." N, looking at Ghetsis cautiously, slowly stretched his arm to reach for the book—

"Did I say I was finished with you?" Ghetsis had N's thin wrist in a vice-grip and let go when the boy reluctantly sat back down on the floor. "I came here to demonstrate why trainers are evil."

"I already know, Papa."

"No, you don't. Telling isn't enough. I must show you so you'll understand the gravity of the situation. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Papa…"

An instant after Ghetsis called for them, three identical young men appeared before Ghetsis and N. The few inhabitants of the castle called them the "Shadow Triad" because they acted as monitors in dark corners and melted into the shadows to report to Ghetsis.

Although his surrogate mothers Anthea and Concordia told him their names, N cared not to learn them, for he disliked the trio very much. The boy often didn't understand humans, but the three that Ghetsis graciously brought to the castle _reeked_ of trouble; they were too cold and too empty to be good people. And obsessively loyal to Ghetsis.

The Shadow Triad bowed to Ghetsis, and the tallest one rasped, "Yes, my lord?"

"Bring the herdier," Ghetsis ordered.

They disappeared into thin air and returned with a battered Pokéball, prompting N to whisper, "I don't like Pokéballs, Papa." N's hands twisted in discomfort. After all, he grew up in a forest where he was free to run amok.

"Be quiet and watch, N." When Ghetsis tossed the Pokéball into the air, a red light flashed and materialized into a herdier—a herdier that was so underfed that it could hardly be categorized as a living being. It was more like a ripped sack of bones that whimpered at the sight of five humans.

"Papa, why is his ear torn? Why is he so skinny?" N cried. His eyes were filling up with tears. His heart filled with compassion for the young dog, N reached out to pet the herdier's head, matted with dirt and specks of blood. The moment his small hand approached the herdier's face, the herdier snarled and bit down hard. As his pale flesh tore and blood started running, N snapped back like a rubber band stretched too far and began screaming. The dog scrambled up to the top of the half-pipe, watching vigilantly.

"Papa!" N cried, with white hot agony shooting up his hand. One of the Shadows tilted his head at Ghetsis for instructions, and Ghetsis held a hand up.

"You should know better than to touch it," Ghetsis coldly told the green haired boy.

"B-but—"

"Fix it."

"He doesn't even want to talk to me!" N shouted. He held his injured hand close to his stomach. "I want to go! I want Anthea and Concordia! I want Anth—"

Ghetsis grabbed N's shoulder and shook him so hard that the boy lost his balance and hit his head on the floor. "A king does whatever it takes to help his subjects. I thought Pokémon were your friends, N. Or perhaps you were exaggerating your claims? Did you _lie_ to me?"

N's lip trembled, and he sobbed even harder. "I'm one of the good guys," N said. "I'm one of the good guys, Papa, and I want to help my friends."

"Then prove it," his father said. With the Shadows, Ghetsis turned around and left the boy bleeding.

* * *

The herdier remained at the top of the half-pipe, and N sat in Concordia's lap while Anthea stitched his hand. Anthea, once she finished, smiled at N with gentle, deep rose colored eyes. "You're all done, N," she said. Her voice was clear as ringing bells.

N laid his head on Concordia's breast and sniffled. His swollen, teary eyes flickered at the wary herdier frequently. Concordia stroked his disheveled hair and kissed his round cheek. "You were so brave, love."

"I did bad," he said. He thought of the herdier that kept his muzzle tightly shut. "Herdier hates me…"

Anthea shook her head vigorously. "Oh no, N," Anthea said. "Herdier doesn't hate you—he's scared."

"Why's he scared of me?"

"Because he came from a very bad place," Concordia said. "He's hurt. He had a very mean trainer who abandoned him at a dumpster. You of all should understand his misery, N."

"Papa's mean," N spoke after a period of silence. "I wish I stayed in the woods, sometimes."

Concordia and Anthea exchanged a knowing glance that N could neither see nor understand. After some deliberation, Anthea said, "Ghetsis can be... a very harsh man. But deep down, he loves you as much as we do, N."

"If he left you in the forest, you wouldn't be able to save all the Pokémon," Concordia reminded the boy. "When you're grown up, you'll be grateful for your life here."

Their voices were melancholy, like choir singers' at a funeral, but N was oblivious, for he still struggled to comprehend the subtleties of human emotions.

"What if I can't save them?" N said, his eyes downcast. "What if I'm just another a bad human?"

"You're certainly not bad," Concordia said. "And you certainly aren't just another human. You're a very special boy. I can feel in here." She poked N's chest, where his heart was.

"You'll always have our support," Anthea said. "And of course, Zorua's and Darmanitan's and Woobat's."

She referred to his family who weren't allowed inside the castle on Ghetsis' orders—after all, Pokémon weren't house pets. N would be selfish to shut wild creatures inside a castle. Nevertheless, N went outside everyday with platefuls of lavish dinners and played with them until dusk, and they loved him so very much.

"Let's have a picnic with your friends," Concordia said, clapping her hands. "We'll all have dinner together, and they can give you advice on helping herdier!"

"Okay!" N said, sitting up straight. He couldn't help but smile a little at the thought of seeing his best friends in the world.

Holding Concordia and Anthea's hands, N left the room and uttered a good-bye to an unresponsive herdier. He reminded himself to bring some food as a peace offering.

* * *

 _To be continued._


End file.
